Abstract

VICS MAKE is a 7-month project which has provided members of Veterans in Crisis Sunderland (VICS) the opportunity to attend weekly workshops led by skilled artists who specialise in glass and ceramics. Members have been exploring a range of techniques; from stained glass, glass fusing, glass engraving and sandblasting, to clay slab building, pinch and coil pots, Raku firing and ceramic decal decoration.
This exhibition presents objects and artworks created by VICS members during the workshops. Individuals have each selected an item that is meaningful to them or best represents their time at National Glass Centre.
The VICS MAKE project aims to explore how regular creative activities and social interactions can promote health and wellbeing. It forms part of a research project in collaboration with; Veterans in Crisis, a Sunderland based social enterprise that aims to get veterans in crisis back on their feet; Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group, led by Dr Yitka Graham, Head of the Helen McArdle Nursing and Care Research Institute and Associate Professor in Health Services Research at the University of Sunderland; the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries at the University of Sunderland; and National Glass Centre.
The project has been made possible with a dedicated team of artists; Mary Watson, Sue Woolhouse, Andrew Livingstone and all the members of VICS.
This is the second collaborative project to be delivered through the network. The first project, ‘Time for Tea’ saw veterans making a range of handmade tableware. The University of Sunderland has been awarded the prestigious platinum partner status by Veterans in Crisis Sunderland.
Funding for the research project has been awarded by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Positive Pathways Programme. It has been supported by the Helen McArdle Nursing and Care Research Institute, the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries, the Health and Care Workforce Interdisciplinary Research Network and National Glass Centre, all at the University of Sunderland.